Monday night in Indianapolis at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, home of the Indiana Pacers, the traveling circus known as the Kobe Bryant's Retirement Tour made it's one and only stop in Indiana.
It was hard to tell that the teams were actually playing in Indy for most of the night however, as the capacity crowd "ooo'd" and "ahh'd" with every glimpse of play left in the thirty-seven year old Bryant.
Hoping to Contain Him
Bryant would be held in check during much of the game, but as Kobe has for twenty years in the NBA, he would put his stamp on the game before the final whistle.
During the first half, Pacers forward Paul George held his childhood idol to just 8 points on (2-9) from the field, including (2-3) from the foul line. George was also able to contribute 14 points for the Pacers on the offensive end, which is very impressive considering the atmosphere, the pomp and circumstance of the game, guarding Bryant, and trying to offensively lead the Pacers.
"He's still a great scorer, great player, we've still got to contain him, we've got to help when needed," said Pacers' forward Jordan Hill at halftime, speaking with Fox Sports Indiana's Jeremiah Johnson about it taking a team effort to contain Bryant.
The Pacers were able to do a relatively good job of containing Bryant in the first half. It was the second half, where he would show that he is not quite retired and would make his mark on the game in Indianapolis one more time.
Pacers Lead Slips
With 8:20 remaining in the third quarter, Pacers' guard George Hill hit a three-point shot to put the Pacers up 57-43. Hill then stole the ensuing Lakers inbounds pass and, retreated to the three-point line, hitting another three, to give Indiana a huge 60-43 lead with 8:15 left in the third quarter.
The lead would not last for long however. After the Pacers built their lead with help from a 19-9 run to close the first half, the Lakers went on their own run of 12-0 to close the third quarter, and trim Indiana's lead to just 64-59. Bryant was responsible for zero points of the 12-0 Lakers' run.
Kobe Returns
Then the show that the fans had been waiting for and pining for all night. Bryant re-entered the game to a huge ovation in the fourth quarter with 4:44 remaining and the score stood 77-71 Pacers. He quickly got an offensive rebound and hit a basket to cut the Indiana lead to just four at 77-73. On the following possession, Bryant struck again with a three-point make to cut Indiana's lead to just one at 77-76.
"They're not out of it, if they've got him (Bryant) on their team," said Pacers guard George Hill, speaking with Fox Sports Indiana's Pat Boylan after the game.
Later in the quarter, Bryant continued his heroics, scoring a three-point shot over Indiana's defense from directly in front of Indiana's bench, as he tied the game at 79, provoking raucous cheers from the Indiana home crowd. It almost sounded like Reggie Miller was back. Bryant would score eight points from the 4:44 mark of the fourth quarter until the game was tied at 79 with 2:45 remaining.
Bryant then would go on to hit yet another three-point shot to give the Lakers their first lead at 82-79 since they led early on 29-27 in the first half. Bryant had managed to hit three-point shots on three straight possessions to claw the Lakers back. It almost was almost like going back in time to the year 2000 for Pacers fans it seemed. Bryant would score 11 of his 19 in the fourth quarter to give the Lakers that lead of 82-79.
Getting Kobe'd
Then it was George's turn to show the elder statesman just what it feels like to get "Kobe'd" if you will.
George hadn't scored in the second half. After making good on all three foul shots after he was fouled by the Lakers Jordan Clarkson, George then drove to the basket, past Bryant and scored plus a foul, earning another trip to the foul line. After converting the basket and the foul shot, the Pacers held a 86-84 lead with just 38.3 seconds remaining.
"He is old. I got a little foot step on him...I just said I was going to take it to the basket, try to create something at the rim, try to finish this game off," said George, speaking with Johnson of the drive that helped win the game for Pacers.
George, who led the Pacers with 21 points, had managed to score six points in a span of just a few minutes and with the help of two free throws from Monta Ellis, the Pacers had put together an 8-0 run to gain an 88-84 lead.
With just 10.8 seconds left and the damage done, Bryant left the game to a standing ovation, and loud chants of "Kobe, Kobe, Kobe" from the Bankers Life Fieldhouse crowd.
"They've always been great and given me a hard time here. For them to give a thank-you chant at the end was pretty special," said Bryant after the game. (Courtesy of: Tyler Smith-IndySportsLegends.com)
The final score stood Indiana 89 Los Angeles Lakers 87.
"It was great playing in L.A. tonight" said George after the game, sarcasm or not, you be the judge, as he spoke with Johnson after the game about the atmosphere inside Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
Learning to Close
The Pacers were finally able to show enough poise and resolve down the stretch of a tough game to grind out a win. Maybe it had something to do with not wanting the home crowd to see a Kobe, and the road team win, or maybe it was just the Pacers finally being tired of blowing games down the stretch. Either way, it worked for Indiana in the end of a particularly bad showing at least for most of the night.
Summing Up a Crazy Night
"I'm not unhappy that's the last time I have to face Kobe Bryant lets just put it that way. He was great, he didn't shoot the ball that well, but he carries that threat...He garners a lot of attention, thankful we got the win," said Pacers head coach Frank Vogel to the media about having to deal with a talented Kobe Bryant for the last time.
Bryant scored 19 points to lead the Lakers, but only shot (6-25) from the field.
The Pacers next game comes Wednesday when they play host to the Charlotte Hornets, tip time is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. EST. This will be the Pacers final game before the NBA All-Star Break commences next weekend in Toronto, Canada.